The Filipino Observer

I sent a renewal slip with my new address last may 2007 together with my payment of £8.00 (postal order) up to now (july 2008) I have not received any single copy yet.

I like The Filipino Observer newspaper as it gives me a sense of community and belonging.

What bugs me is that you pay for something and it does not arrive, or there are delays in receiving your copy. By the time it arrives, gatherings have passed and the news is out-of-date.

They have apologised and said they are trying to do better, but this is not enough. If they cannot keep up with distribution they should not offer the service.

I would love to say I could recommend it to a friend or fellow Filipino, but I couldn't.

My parents are Filipino and I am used to seeing The Filipino Observer in our house. It is a fun way of being informed of upcoming local events or reports on events that have happened in the UK and Europe, as well as events in the Philippines.

Imagine my surprise when an article was written regarding a member of my family that was totally untrue, and more of an unprovoked personal attack on their character.

I was astonished and annoyed that such an article could be printed using offensive language, which has made me question the integrity of the paper.

I have written to them several times on behalf of my family demanding an apology and retraction. I know other members of my family have also written letters, and all with no reply.

My opinion of this paper has gone further downhill, as they cannot even acknowledge serious complaints or provide us with an explanation as to why such an article was printed.

The fact that they do not take their readers comments seriously has just made me think that this publication is run by a bunch of amateurs.

I no longer trust the content of the paper.